Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Durkan. As members can see, the entire country is united in grief over this and as the Mayor of Berkeley noted, it also was a dark day for Berkeley. The joint committee certainly will take on board the suggestion made by Deputy Quinn in writing to the universities affected. In addition, the joint committee will contact the consul general in San Francisco, Mr. Philip Grant, to ask him to convey its best wishes to the emergency services, as well as to himself and his team for the work done there. I believe that is the best way to do this. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anam dílis and I thank all members for their contributions this morning.

I also wish to extend the joint committee's sympathy and best wishes to the people of Georgia and to the citizens of Tbilisi in particular, which is very much on members' agenda at present, on foot of the dreadful flooding and loss of life there. I will ask the secretariat to write to the Georgian chargé d'affaires at the embassy here to extend the sympathy of the joint committee. Is that agreed? Agreed.